TEXMESSAGE

Tuesday, January 31

Good morning, TexMessagers. You know which candidates you relate to, but which candidates relate to you?

TEXclusive

Some rare good polling news for President Obama. A Pew Research Center released yesterday found that voters believe the incumbent Democrat can identify with their problems far better than Republican frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

Among the 1,006 Americans surveyed, 55 percent said Obama could fathom issues important to the American people “very well” or “fairly well,” whereas only 39 percent believed the same for Romney and 36 percent for Gingrich.

Obama also did better on the empathy chart among partisans.

Of the Democratic voters surveyed, 84 percent believed that Obama could relate to average American issues. Among Republicans, 61 percent were positive about Romney and 60 percent had faith in Gingrich.

The study also showed that Republican voters currently have a low opinion of their presidential choices. Only 46 percent of GOP voters expressed positive feelings about their field of candidates. Four years ago, that number was 68 percent.

2012 Presidential Watch

Every morning, we share some headlines from 2012 presidential campaign.

Reader Comment of the Day

“Q: Which of these candidates would screw the middle class and poor in order to provide further insane tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations?

A: All of the above”

Texas Watch

TxPotomac lets you know what stories to look out for later this week.

Today:
★ Florida Republicans vote in a winner-take-all primary.
★ Ron Paul campaigns in Nevada
★ The American Enterprise Institute will hold a discussion entitled “Competing for Talent: The United States and High-Skilled Immigration.” Barry Chiswick of George Washington University will speak at 9 a.m. EST.

Tomorrow and beyond:
★ Wednesday, Feb. 1. The House Budget Committee will assess the U.S. budget and national economic outlook at10 a.m. ET in room 210 of the Cannon House Office Building.
★ Thursday, Feb. 2. A National Press Club panel of pollsters and journalists will discuss press coverage of political polls. Washington bureau chief Rick Dunham will moderate the panel and describe ten ways reporters misinterpret polling data.

Today in Texas History

On this date in 1927, the mockingbird was named Texas’ official state bird. More>>>